Envelope moistener and sealer



June 21, 1938. R, c. FLYNT 2,121,166 I ENVELOPE MOISTENER AND SEALER I Filed June 3, 1957 Malta-nu; S,

, reservoir by means of screws 4-4.

Patented June 21, 1938 I l I 2,121,166

PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE MOISTENER AND SEALER Robert C. Flynt, Winston- Salem, N. 0., assignor of two-fifths to Forrest G. Miles, Winston-- Salem, N. 0.

Application June 3, 1937, Serial No. 146,282

10 Claimsl' (01. 120-41) This invention relates to devices for moisten:

ing the flaps of envelopes, and for bringing the moistened envelope into sealing contact with the envelope proper.

An object of the invention is to provide animproved moistening and sealing device which is ofinexpensive construction and which is reliable andcertain in operation.

A further object is to provide a moistener and sealer including a flat table or plate over the top of which the body of an envelope may be slid while the flap passes underneath the plate and in engagement with the moistening member, the arrangement being such that after the flap is moistened it will be guided upwardly to the top of the plate in a novel manner for sealing engagement with the envelope body. 1

Other objects will become apparent from a reading oflthe following descriptiomthe appended claims, and the accompanying drawingyin which:

Figure l isa perspective view of. a device embodying the invention; 1 1 I V Figure 2 is a view in end elevation with a presser omitted; 1 1 M 1 Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 with the presser omitted;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal's'ectional'view on the line 4-4 with the presser omitted. l

The representative form shownas one embodi- .ment of the invention includes a base A, a flat plate or table 3 above thebase A, a guide plate C, and a presser D. The base A is provided with supporting feet I and is formed with a reservoir containing a supply of water indicated at 3. The plate B is mounted on the base above the In use, an envelope to be sealed is slid over the plate from left to rightas viewed in Figures 1 and 4, and for convenience the left hand end of the plate will be termed the entrance end 5, and the right hand end will be termed the exit end 6. The exit end 6 rests on the base, but the entrance end 5 is disposed somewhat above the base in order to provide clearance for the passage of the flap of the envelope, which, in use, passes along beneath the entrance end of the plate B. Preferably the entrance end 5 is tapered as indicated at 5 in order to facilitate insertion of the envelope in operative position.

In accordance with one feature of the invention, the plate B is formed with a transverse opening 1 which extends inwardly from one edge 8 of the plate and terminates short of the opposite edge 9. A flap-return guide l extends from the edge of the opening I nearest the exit end 6 of the plate B, and is inclined downwardly and toward the entrance end of the plate. Preferably the flap-return guide is integral with the plate B, and conveniently may be formed by cutting the plate at H and I2 and bending the guide downwardly. The construction thus provided in cludes a plate or table anda return guide which constitutes a part of the plate displaced from the plane of the plate proper.

A flexible moistening member I3 is connected to the bottom of the plate between the transverse opening! and the entrance end 5. This moistening member .may be of any suitable material, and I have found that a' strip of soft leather with the fuzzy side down works well. The freeend portion of'the moistening member 13 normally fallsor dips by gravity into the water in the reservoir 2 as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4.

A guide plate C, which isangular in cross section, providing a horizontal flap rest l4 and an edge guide 15, is mounted on the base, so that the flap rest underlies the entrance end portion of the plate B, the flap rest terminating short of the flap-return guide I ll.

In the use of the device, an envelope generally designated E and comprising an envelope proper E and a flap E is slid over the entrance end'5 of the plate B as indicated in Figure l, the envelope proper E being disposed above the plate B, and theflap E being passed under the plate 1 B but over the flap rest I 4. The edge .8 of the plate and the edge guide portion H: of the guide plate C serve to maintain the envelope longitudinally aligned with the plate B. The envelope is slid along the plate B,causing the flap to run under and pick up the moistening device l3. After'the moistening device ihasbeen thus an gaged by the envelope flap, the parts will be in the positions shown in full lines in Figure 4. Further movement of the envelope will cause the flap to engage the flap-return guide III, which will have a camming effect, causing the flap E to be raised upwardlyto the top of the plate B, where it will engage the envelope proper in sealing relation thereto. As the envelope passes along over the exit end of the plate B, it will pass under the free end of the presser D which is hinged to the guide plate as at I6. Preferably, the presser is of light construction, and sealing pressure is imparted thereto by the fingers of the operator as the thumb advances the envelope along the plate. It will be obvious, however, that the pressure applied by the end of a presser of this general type maybe relied upon to seal envelopes without the necessity of employing finger pressure when en;

velopes being sealed are of fresh stock bearing an efficient type of adhesive coating.

I also may provide a roller I! mounted on the base by trunnions l8 and dipping into the water in the reservoir. The roller may be employed in a well known manner for moistening stamps.

It will be observed that envelope moisteners and sealers constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention are simple, and moreover are adapted for use in connection with envelopes of various different sizes. form shown for the purposes of disclosing the invention embodies the invention in a practical and at the present preferred form, it will be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the claims;

I claim:

1. In an envelope flap moistening device, the combination of a plate having an entrance end and an exit end and a transverse opening therein intermediate said ends; a moistening member on one side of the plate between the entrance end thereof and said opening; and an inclined flapreturn guide extending from the transverse edge of said opening nearest the exit end of the plate toward the entrance end thereof and toward said moistening device.

2. In an envelope flap moistening device, the

combination of a plate having an entrance end and an exit end and a transverse opening therein intermediate said ends; a moistening member on one side of the plate between the entrance end thereof and said opening; and a flap-return guide integrally connected to said plate along the transverse edge of said transverse opening nearest the exit end of said plate, said guide being inclined toward the entrance end of the plate and toward said moistening device.

3. In an envelope flap moistening device, the combination of a plate having an entrance end and an exit end and a transverse opening therein intermediate said ends; a flexible gravity dipped, envelope flap lifted moistening member connected to one side of the plate between the entrance end thereof and said opening; and an inclined flap-return guide extending from the transverse edge of said opening nearest the exit end of the plate toward the entrance end thereof and toward said moistening device.

4. In an envelope flap moistening device, the combination of a base having a water reservoir therein; a plate mounted above said base and havingan entrance end and an exit'end and a transverse opening therein intermediate said ends; a flexible moistening member connected to the bottom side of said plate between the entrance end thereof and said opening and having a free portion adapted normally to fall by gravity Although the into water in said reservoir; and an inclined flapreturn guide extending downwardly from the transverse edge of said opening nearest the exit end of said plate and toward the entrance end thereof, there being clearance above said plate and below the plate between said guide and the entrance end of the plate whereby the body portion of an envelope may be slid along the top of the plate and the flap may be slid along the bottom of the plate to engage said free portion of said moistening device and be wetted thereby and to then engage said guide and be thereby lifted through said opening to the top of the plate for sealing engagement with the body of the envelope.

5. In an envelope flap moistening device, the combination defined in claim 4 and including also an edge guide extending parallel to and spaced from said plate.

6. In an envelope flap moistening device, the combination defined in claim 4 and including also a flap rest below and spaced from said plate and extending from the entrance end toward the exit end thereof and terminating short of the transverse opening.

7. In an envelope sealing device, the combination defined in claim 4 and including also a presser disposed above said plate and between the opening therein and the exit end thereof.

8. In an envelope flap moistening device, the combination of a fiat plate having an entrance end and an exit end and being formed with a transverse opening intermediate said ends extending from one longitudinal edge of the plate toward the opposite edge but terminating short of said opposite edge; a moistening member on one side of said plate between said opening and the entrance end of the plate; and a flap-return guide extending from the edge of said opening nearest the exit end of the plate and inclined toward said moistening member and the entrance end of the plate.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 and in which the flap-return guide is integral with the plate and constitutes a part thereof displaced from the plane of the plate to provide the transverse opening therein.

10. In an envelope flap moistening device, a moistening bath reservoir, a moistening flap supported above the reservoir and having a free end dangling in the moistening bath, and an envelope supporting slideway over the reservoir cooperatively positioned relative to said flap whereby each envelope flap moved over the slideway will lift the flap out of the bath, receive moisture from said flap and then release the flap to allow it to fall into said bath.

ROBERT C. FLYNT. 

